1 Jun 2015

Liverpool continue to be linked with a summer move for Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke, and it appears that Reds goalkeeper - and fellow Belgian - Simon Mignolet will attempt to aid the club's efforts to sign the powerhouse goalscorer this summer.

Lierpool are reportedly considering a part-exchange deal involving Rickie Lambert, and when asked over the weekend about the possibility of the a deal for Benteke, Mignolet told reporters:

"I’m going to talk with Benteke about the Liverpool rumour. It would be fine to have three Belgians at the club".

Well, Mignolet can't do any worse than Ian Ayre and the other members of Liverpool's failed transfer committee, though it' doubtful that the Reds' 'stopper has the sway to convince Benteke to actually sign on the dotted line.

After 13 goals/assists in 13 games, Benteke's fine run of form can to a juddering end on Saturday during Villa's drubbing in the FA Cup final. He struggled to make an impact on the game, which has predictably prompted some Liverpool fans to write him off (again).

It always amused me fans often judge players on the basis of one game, yet ignore recent history. As noted above, Benteke smashed in 13 goals/assists in 13 games, yet he failed to score against Arsenal, so that record is instantly disregarded. Makes no sense to me, but there you go.

As Dietmar Hamann noted last week, Benteke is probably 'the best Liverpool can get right now, and after a disastrous season, which reached its nadir with the ignominy of a 6-1 thrashing against Stoke City, beggars - i.e. clubs with no Champions League football - can't be choosers.

Even with Lambert included in the deal, Benteke - described by recently deposed Villa boss Paul Lambert as 'absolutely world class - has a £32.5m buyout clause, so he'll still cost a pretty penny.

Whether Benteke is worth that or not is open to debate, but lots of ex-Reds seem to think he'll do well at Anfield. In recent weeks, Hamann, Steve Nicol, Jamie Carragher, Mark Lawrenson, and John Barnes have all publicly urged Liverpool to sign the big Belgian, but with Chelsea also interested, it wouldn't surprise me to see the Reds lose out on yet another high-profile deal.

Villa boss Tim Sherwood is determined to keep Benteke at Villa Park, and over the weekend, he insisted that the striker 'needs to sign a new deal', but conceded that the club may have no choice but to sell:

“We need to put it to bed. We need to offer him a new contract, which the club are prepared to do. We know he’s happy. He’s got a buyout clause, and if no one meets that, he won’t be going anywhere.”

Liverpool should make a concrete decision on this ASAP. If Rodgers wants Benteke, then the Reds should just activate his buyout clause and get it over with. The sooner the deal is done, the better, but prevaricating over the summer will just leave the club open to being gazumped. Again.

If Liverpool are not willing to pay the fee, then Ayre et al should stop wasting time and focus on a target within the club's transfer budget.

Just because there big dont mean they qll play the same. Benteke scores plenty goals with his feet and from dribbling or pressing defenders. Benteke quite skillful and abit like T.Henry. not all big players the same. Costa is nothing like lambert

The issue I've seen with Benteke is that he relies heavily on his team playing well for him to play well. Not the type of player that will produce a moment of magic or create to many assists. I remember two long baron spells for Benteke in recent history. The strangest thing about this transfer is I don't think he fits BR style of play at the moment. So unless there is going to be a shift in tactics, for me this is an expensive gamble.

And we have nowhere near the right game plan. If we're signing benteke we may as well get Sam all argyle to replace Rodgers as well, will play plenty of long balls and crosses into him. We need a striker in the Suarez mold( I know we are never going to sign a player even close to him ability) but someone like Luciano Vietto, Kevin Volland, I'd even rather play coutinho as a false 9. If we're going to start turning into a team to suit benteke, we may as well keep balotelli who is way more talented and suits this system also.

Hope recent links are true... Kovacic and Vietto would be great boosts on the relative cheap. Throw in a top striker and an RB and our business could be done. Of course another CM would be nice, but at this point I think we have to prioritize...

They've lost the plot if they pay £32 million for him I would jus about pay £20 million for him. If I had it my way i would target aubeymang from Dortmund he suits our style and is still only 25. I think he would come and he would cost about the same

I have only seen Benteke play well against us and apart from that, he has been very average. If he was nearly as good as everyone makes him out to be, Villa would not have been battling relegation for three years straight. In what other league, does a player go for 32 mil from a relegation threatened league. Sometimes, the Premier League really is crazy.

I highly recommed checking out a you tube video Prozone's Analysis of Liverpool's search for a striker which shows what kind of football liverpool play and what kind of striker could replace the impact Suarez and Sturridge had on the team in 13/14. I think Benteke would suit Liverpool's counterattacking style. Along with Origi who I think is going to hit the ground running with his dynamism that he will bring into the team I feel that together they would make a great combination and good focal point for the team.

The one quality I want from any attacking player that comes to Liverpool is "dynamism" For me the best Liverpool teams has this feature. When you think of Gerrard in his prime, his dynamism was the cutting edge just like Suarez and Torres had in their at the club.

That edge was missing last season so if they can put that back into the team that will be a big plus factor for a better season. I mention Origi because when reading reports about his game that word keeps popping up so I feel he is going to be ok. One player I wish Liverpool could get is Fabian Delph as his energy would be a fantastic addition to the midfield.

I don't agree to be honest. Benteke is a striker. Balotelli likes to play behind a striker and come deeper to get the ball.two completely different players and if I had a choice of both I'd definitely take benteke even though I don't think he'd really fit into our way of playing.balotelli imo is a disgrace and I hope he never wears a Liverpool jersey again . The most annoying thing is his attitude and work rate and what makes him more infuriating is that he actually has a lot of ability but he just doesn't try.

Yeah, I think I'd rather have benteke too but the idea of signing him just annoys me. Even if he was free, if I was manager of Liverpool I wouldn't sign him. There is so many attainable players who suit the system, Vietto, Volland, son( he can play as striker),ings, even aubameyang!

Ya i agree.dont have much faith in Rodgers ability to buy players tho.what would you think of dzeko? I know he's a target man of sorts but he's a good footballer and his build up play round the box can be excellent at times. I know he's no suarez but I would prefer him to benteke. ..

Same as that he's completely clueless. Dzeko wouldn't be too bad as he is good with the ball at his feet, but he doesn't make clever runs behind the back line which is what we need in a striker. I'd rather have him than benteke, or any of our current crop of strikers(except sturridge) though.

Haven't we learned nothing from the Carroll (shivers) and Lambert fiasco? We need players that suit our style, Benteke does not suit our style. We need a striker who is pro-active, not someone that needs to be constantly fed.

Balotelli is pretty much similar to Benteke in that aspect, poor work rate, average speed, needs to be fed to score. I do think Benteke is a better player though.

I just think Lambert brought nothing and replaying that card isn't going to suddenly make his feet fast. I sure hope we actually clear the roster of deadwood and bring in 4-6 REAL fast, creative and hard working impact players....its been awful the last 3 windows.....